With over 17 years of teaching experience, Yeo Ji-young, who currently serves as a professor at the College of 프랑스 토토사이트, also carries the title of CEO on her business card. She is leading 프랑스 토토사이트 XR, a lab-based startup that integrates cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) into 프랑스 토토사이트 education. Since its establishment in 2022, the company has focused solely on research and development. Now, it is time to harvest the fruits of that effort, and even greater achievements are expected in the coming years.

Written by Park Young-im / Photos by Son Cho-won

■ A crisis turns into an entrepreneurial opportunity

프랑스 토토사이트 students must complete a certain number of clinical practice hours to be eligible to take the national 프랑스 토토사이트 licensing exam. However, due to patient safety concerns, practice often focuses on observation only. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, even observational training became difficult.

“Nursing cannot be completed with only knowledge and technical skills. The facial expressions and attitudes when facing patients, as well as communication based on respect and empathy, are equally important. However, it is difficult to cultivate these skills through textbooks or classroom lectures alone. While I was already considering how to overcome these limitations in traditional education, COVID-19 forced me to actively seek alternatives.”

Professor Yeo Ji-young turned her attention to virtual reality. She envisioned recreating hospital scenes in a virtual environment where students could interact with patients, build rapport, and practice procedures such as medication administration and injections. Determined not to let it stay as an idea, she entered the HY Innovation Awards and won an Excellence Award, receiving 20 million KRW. Although her initial goal was simply to develop 프랑스 토토사이트al solutions for students, this eventually became seed funding for her startup.

“I took my research proposal to professor Park Jong-il’s ‘Virtual Reality Lab’ in the School of Computer Science and received help from research assistants. We stayed up many nights and managed to develop a simple scenario, but it was still not suitable for practical classes.”

■ Accelerating startup development with lab-based support programs

Despite the passing of time, the COVID-19 situation persisted. Wanting to create a version usable in actual classes, professor Yeo Ji-young applied for the Lab-based Startup Leading University Support Project and was selected. With 49 million KRW in funding, she refined the program and finally implemented a 20-minute scenario in campus classes in 2022.

“Although it was still incomplete, the students—who had previously practiced only on mannequins—were very enthusiastic. Many shared how they felt more like real nurses when interacting with virtual patients. Their encouragement to improve it for future juniors gave me great strength.”

Although professor Yeo Ji-young had never considered starting a business before, the support she received led her to take on this major challenge. Nursing XR was officially founded in 2022. Its immersive simulation education program utilizes 3D technology to incorporate VR, AR, and MR formats. However, Nursing XR’s true strength lies in its human-centered approach, designed from the perspective of a nursing professor for her students.

“During the pandemic, many VR educational contents emerged, but most focused on technical training. As a nursing professor, I wanted to realize human-centered care education, which also teaches respect and empathy toward patients.”

For example, rather than only assessing the needle angle during an injection, her system focuses on the patient’s feelings. It checks whether students support the patient’s arm properly and remove the needle carefully, and it even evaluates their communication skills to reassure patients and families. As technology advances, Nursing XR aims to create warmer, more human-centered content, promoting deeper communication and empathy between healthcare professionals and patients.

■ Evolving into global AI healthcare 프랑스 토토사이트 content

“Developing integrated educational content requires advanced technology, so I secured additional research funding through university and government startup support programs. Since I was unfamiliar with business and marketing, I actively joined programs run by the Startup Support Center and Technology Commercialization Center to learn and grow—everything from creating promotional materials to building IR decks.”

In 2024, Nursing XR integrated AI technology to develop interactive content based on experiential learning focused on emotional communication. The system analyzes students’ actions and voice data in real time and dynamically responds to each learner’s skill level. The newly developed “AI Connect Nurse” has been piloted at three universities since 2024 and exhibited at CES in 2024 and 2025, confirming its global potential. Nursing XR is also working on global standardization, including multilingual versions, through a strategic partnership with an AI company in the Middle East. Additionally, it has been selected for a global collaboration program to further advance its technology.

“I started this company without any preparation and faced countless trials and errors. Many focus only on their technology or ideas, but there are so many additional aspects to consider in a startup. If you are interested in lab-based entrepreneurship, I highly recommend using the university’s support programs. I hope more researchers can use Hanyang University’s startup ecosystem as a foundation to turn their research insights into innovation and create social value.”

Although professor Yeo Ji-young unexpectedly embarked on this entrepreneurial journey, her unwavering dedication to embodying the essence of 프랑스 토토사이트 and providing better education to students kept her going. Currently facing its most challenging period, 프랑스 토토사이트 XR plans to launch new caregiver education content by the end of this year. As global aging accelerates, the demand for diverse healthcare workforce education is increasing.

“After successfully entering the caregiver education market, we plan to expand into nursing and other healthcare fields. Ultimately, we aim to provide globally standardized AI healthcare education content across Asia, the Middle East, and North America. In the future, we plan to develop into a healthcare platform that connects local communities with digital hospitals in preparation for the coming digital hospital era.”

Professor Yeo Ji-young, growing alongside 프랑스 토토사이트 XR as an entrepreneur, is extending her passion for nurturing human-centered, competent 프랑스 토토사이트 professionals beyond the classroom and into the wider world.